Antiseptic preparation



Patented Feb. 20, 194% 7 2,190,749 anrissr'rro raarana'rron' Howard Worne, Newark, N. 55., assignor to Samuel Brass, New York, N. Y.

No Drawing. Application June 24, 1937, Serial No. 150,079

1 Claim.

This invention relates to antiseptic preparations and has for its principal object the provision of an improved base or solvent for antiseptic compounds and an improved antiseptic preparation comprising the base or solvent of the invention.

The base or solvent of the invention comprises a primary solvent and a secondary solvent. The primary solvent is one in which the antiseptic compound and the secondary solvent both are soluble, at least in the concentrations in which they are present. The secondary solvent is one in which the antiseptic compound is more soluble than in the primary solvent, and is substantially insoluble in aqueous media. Antiseptic preparations according to the invention are prepared by incorporating antiseptic compounds in this complex base or solvent.

When antiseptic preparations of the invention are diluted in aqueous media, as by addition to a culture medium or application to cut tissue surfaces, the secondary solvent apparently becomes substantially colloidally dispersed therein and carries with it in solution the bulk of the antiseptic compound. The antiseptic compound in solution in the colloidally dispersed secondary solvent is much more efiective as a germicidal or fungicidal agent than when present in the same concentration in a solvent that does no become colloidally dispersed.

A large number of antiseptic compounds are available for use in making up the antiseptic preparation of the invention. Ortho-phenylphenol maybe employed-with success, as may its derivatives, such as itsshalogenated and alkylated derivatives.

The primary solvent, of which a relatively large proportion is employed in making up the complex base or solvent of the invention, should be one in which the antiseptic compound is moderately soluble. It should be capable also of dissolving the secondary solvent and, preferably, such other agents as may be included in the preparation, and it may be soluble in Water or aqueous media. Ethyl alcohol serves very well as the primary solvent.

The secondary solvent is one thatpossesses more powerful solvent properties for the antiseptic compound thanthe primary solvent. Preferably the antiseptic compound is many times more soluble in the secondary solvent than in the primary solvent. Since the secondary solvent is one that becomes substantially colloidally dispersed upon dilution in aqueous media, it should be substantially insoluble in such media. Benzyl alcohol has been found to be a satisfactory substance for use as the secondary solvent when employing ortho-phenylphenol as the antiseptic compound, but of course its use is not limited to preparations involving this particular antiseptic compound. Only a relatively small proportion of the secondary solvent, say about one-eighth of the amount of the primary solvent employed, need be used.

Other agents in addition to those mentioned above may be included in the antiseptic preparation of the invention. For example, the prepa ration may include a defatting agent, a dye, and such other substances as are incorporated in antiseptics of general or special utility.

In preparing the solution, the primary solvent and the secondary solvent are mixed in suitable proportions and the antiseptic compound, together with a defatting agent, a dye, and such other ingredients as are desired are dissolved therein. Following is an example of an antiseptic preparation made in accordance with the invention:

Per cent Ethyl alcohol 5 0 Benzyl alcohol 8 'Iso-propyl alcohol l0 Ortho-phenylphenol 1 Chrysoidin-y 0.2 Water, to make 100 The ethyl alcohol functions in the above composition as the primary solvent in which the other ingredients are dissolved. The concentra-.

tion of this component in the preparation does not appear to be critical, but it should be sufiicient to hold the other substances in solution and advantageously is present in an amount sullicient to make up, with the other alcohols, about of the Whole. This concentration of alcohols, diluted with about 30% Water, is part1cularly beneficial to the skin.

The benzyl alcohol serves as the secondary solvent which, upon dilution in aqueous media, becomes colloidally dispersed and carries with it in solution the bulk of the antiseptic compound. Benzyl alcohol, although substantially insoluble in'water in the sense the term is used in this specification, will dissolve to a slight extent in a the preparation in order that colloidal dispersion of this compound will occur and the beneficial results of the preparation will be secured. On the other hand, too high a concentration of benzyl alcohol results in the precipitation of large globules and not in colloidal dispersion of this substance upon dilution of the preparation in aqueous media. Generally, therefore, not more than about 20% of benzyl alcohol should be used.

Ortho-phenylphenol is employed as the antiseptic compound in the above-mentioned preparation. This substance and certain of its derivatives have been found to be effective antiseptic compounds, and their use in the preparation is preferred. Many other antiseptic compounds are available, however, and may be employed if desired.

Iso-propyl alcohol is included in the preparation as a defatting agent to enable the antiseptic to penetrate fatty tissue with greater ease than otherwise would be possible. This particular substance may be omitted from the preparation if desired, however; and be replaced by an additional quantity of ethyl alcohol, or any other suitable defatting agents may be substituted for it. Chrysoidin-y is an orange-red dye that is included in the preparation for coloring purposes. It may be omitted or replaced with other dyes if desired. The water, as indicated above, serves to dilute the alcohols present in the preparation to the most desirable concentration for application to skin areas. The amount of water employed (about 30%) is not sufiicient to cause precipitation of the benzyl alcohol or other substances present in the preparation.

The efiiciency of the preparation of the invention is illustrated in the Table A below. In the tests reported in this table, the indicated volumes of an antiseptic preparation having the abovementioned specific composition were added to 0.5 cc. quantities of bacterial suspensions of the indicated organisms. The bacterialsuspensions were all prepared from twenty-four hour cultures in particularly favorable agar media at optimum temperatures and pH values. The bacterial suspensions counted at least 250,000,000'organisms per 0.5 c. The time of contact between the suspension and the antiseptic preparation was 600 seconds. Sterility of the suspension after treatment is indicated by a minus sign and the presence of growing organisms by a plus sign. Controls were run with each test and found to contain growths.

Table A Volume of added antiseptic preparation 111 cc Micro-organism Staphylococcus a-ureus.- B-Sreptoc0ccus hemol.. Pneumococcus, Type I. Micrococcus catarrhalz's. B. coli B. typhosus Brucella abortus pyv y eus Vibrio cholerae V JkQ/cobacterium tuherculvsis Trichophyton gypsmm The superior results that are obtained by the use of an antiseptic preparation made up in. a base or solvent according to the invention were demonstrated in a series of tests run as described above but using an antiseptic preparation in which the benzyl alcohol was replaced by additional ethyl alcohol. Except for this replacement of the benzyl alcohol by ethyl alcohol, the composition of the preparation was identical with that of the preparation used in the tests summarized in Table A. The results of these tests are given in Table B below:

Table B Volume of added antiseptic preparation in cc. Micro-organism Staphylococcus aureus fl-Streptococcua hemoZ Pneumococcus, Type I Microqoccus catarrhalis B. colz- B.typhos1|s Brucella abortus B. pyocyaneus Vibrio cholerae Mycobacterium tuberculosis" Trichophyton gypseum The results of this series of experiments demonstrates that the presence of the secondary solvent in the antiseptic preparation of the invention materially adds to the effectiveness of the preparation. In fact, to duplicate the results reported in Table A without the use of the sec ondary solvent (benzyl alcohol), it was found necessary practically to double the concentration of the antiseptic compoundinthe preparation, increasing itfrom 1% to 1.925%. Although benzyl alcohol possesses some antiseptic qualities itself, this property was found not to account for the improved efiicacy of the preparations in which it was used. A solution made up of 50% ethyl alcohol, iso-propyl alcohol, 8% benzyl alcohol, 0.2% chrysoidin-y and the balance water proved quantitatively to have the same antiseptic properties toward Staphylococcus aureus, ,B-Streptococcus hemol and B. typhosus as a solution in which the benzyl alcohol had been re laced with ethyl alcohol but otherwise was of the same composition. This finding appears to confirm other indications that it is the colloidal dispersion in aqueous media of the benzyl alcohol, carrying with it in solution the antiseptic compound, that accounts in a large measure for the improved qualities of antiseptic preparations according to the invention.

Antiseptic preparations and bases or solvents for such preparations are easily made in accordance with the invention. They are stable and inexpensive, and may be made up in large quantities and kept for long periods of time without deteriorating. Use or the base or solvent of the invention greatly improve the efficiency of the antiseptic compound incorporated therein and thereby permits the use of minimum concentrations of the antiseptic compound. Substantial economies thus are achieved, in many instances I claim: 20% by volume of the preparation, so that upon An antiseptic preparation comprising a com dilution of the preparation in an aqueous medium pound solvent having ortho-phenylphenol disthe benzyl alcohol becomes colloidally dispersed solved therein, said compound solvent compris therein and carries with it in solution the bulk 5 ing ethyl alcohol in which benzyl alcohol is of the ortho-phenylphenol.

dissolved in an amount between about 3% and HOW W0 

